Flu outbreak may be easing in Pennsylvania

Lehigh and Northampton are among four counties where cases remain high.

January 23, 2013|By Tim Darragh, Of The Morning Call

The flu may be easing its grip on Pennsylvania, but the Lehigh Valley remains among the hardest-hit areas in the state..

Updated data released this week by the state Department of Health show a slight drop in the number of laboratory-confirmed flu cases for last week. There were 4,903 flu cases reported during the week, down from 5,069 cases in the previous week. For the ongoing flu season, the department has counted 23,079 lab-positive cases, which represent a fraction of the actual total.

Flu-related hospitalizations declined from 577 to 480, the department said.

The Health Department's map of Pennsylvania's 67 counties shows flu remaining high in only four counties — Lehigh, Northampton, Montgomery and Allegheny. Since the flu season began Oct. 2, Lehigh has racked up 1,651 cases, Northampton has 1,025 and Montgomery 1,070. Allegheny has the highest number with 2,104.

While the number of reported cases statewide dropped, the number of flu-related deaths rose. The department said 35 people died of flu complications for the week, up from 22 the previous week. The additional deaths increased the statewide seasonal total to 75.

Meanwhile, a flu death that had been reported earlier this month by the Lehigh Valley Health Network was not flu-related, a spokesman said. Initial indications pointed to flu as a cause of an infant's death, but test results came back negative, Brian Downs, LVH spokesman, said Tuesday.

The flu season across the United States has been a rough one, according to Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "It's shaping up to be a worse-than-average season and a bad season particularly for the elderly," he said in a recent briefing.

However, he said, signs of improvement are appearing.

"Many parts of the country are still seeing high ... activity, while overall activity is beginning to go down," Frieden said.

Because the flu season will continue, officials still advise individuals who have not gotten vaccinated to get a flu shot.